FF will never, ever in a million years admit she is wrong on this, so for the rest of you, read and enjoy the facts about the BC Fed writing NDP policy. Don't expect any relenting by the Head Casta-hag.

“It’s hardly a secret agenda,” says B.C. Fed boss Jim Sinclair after The Province reveals the close working relationship between the NDP and the unions over the party's labour policy. “We’ve been very open about the fact that we’re lobbying the party.”

Unions across B.C. are in “extensive” pre-election talks with the NDP, and the party’s labour platform is being developed with the B.C. Federation of Labour, according to a document obtained Thursday by The Province.

The labour organization also poured money and staff time into two recent by-elections, the document says, though the NDP candidates in both by-elections did not list the B.C. Federation of Labour as a donor in campaign-finance reports.

It all has the rival Liberals slamming “heavy handed” union influence in the NDP backrooms, and questioning whether the New Democrats properly disclosed campaign donations from the province’s largest labour organization.

“Adrian Dix tried to fool people that he was a moderate with a modest agenda,” Liberal campaign director Mike McDonald said of the NDP leader.

“He just got busted.”

The 11-page document was prepared for the executive of the B.C. Federation of Labour and distributed at its recent convention. It details the organization’s top priorities and its work with the NDP to achieve them.

“Labour platform is being developed with the B.C. NDP,” the document says.

“It spells out how big labour is working hand-in-hand with the NDP to develop their policies for them,” said Liberal cabinet minister Mary Polak.

She said business should worry about an NDP government bringing in pro-union labour laws and workplace regulations that will raise their costs and deflate investor confidence.

“It’s clear from the document that this is the same old NDP of the 1970s and 1990s and it could hurt our economy,” she said.

But NDP MLA Carole James said the party is simply listening to labour’s concerns, and the NDP will write its own policy platform, not the labour movement.

“They’re presenting their ideas to us and we’re listening,” she said, adding none of the labour movement’s “suggestions” have been officially adopted by the party yet.

“Only the Liberals would attack us for consulting with people. They’re fearmongering.”

B.C. Federation of Labour president Jim Sinclair said copies of the document were widely circulated at the organization’s recent convention.

“It’s hardly a secret agenda,” he said. “We’ve been very open about the fact that we’re lobbying the party.”

But Polak disagreed.

“Adrian Dix has been saying he’s friendly to business, but business is not writing the NDP election platform — big labour is,” she said.

The document says the B.C. Federation of Labour wants an overhaul of the Labour Code. The organization has already said it wants an NDP government to scrap the secret-ballot rule for certifying a union, requiring a majority of workers to simply sign a union card instead.

The group also wants a “total review” of the Workers Compensation Board, and “fair” apprenticeship rules and employment standards affecting union and non-union workers alike.

Under the heading “Ensuring the NDP Wins in 2013”, the document calls for “creating opportunities for Adrian/NDP to directly engage members. We have to publicly support Adrian/NDP with our members, instil confidence in his leadership.”

On the two recent by-elections — both won by the NDP — the document details work and donations: “The Federation co-ordinated a fundraising drive that raised $120,000 for the by-elections. In addition, staff worked full-time organizing volunteers.”

Yet the campaign-finance reports disclosed by winning NDP candidate Joe Trasolini and Gwen O’Mahony did not list the B.C. Federation of Labour as donors of money or staff.

“It doesn’t seem right,” said Polak, adding the donations should be reviewed.

But NDP provincial secretary Jan O’Brien said the money raised by the Federation was donated to the NDP head office, properly disclosed, and then transferred to the byelection campaigns.

And she said Federation staff did not work on the byelection campaigns directly, so no public disclosure was required — an explanation Polak found “disingenuous.”

The NDP, meanwhile, pointed out that McDonald (the Liberal campaign director) has scheduled a “stakeholder meeting” in the boardroom of the B.C. Business Council next week.

“That shouldn’t surprise anyone,” said Sinclair. “At least we’re being open about our work with the NDP.”

^^The difference is that the NDp are reaching out and listening to ideas from both Labour and corporate business,which is what they should be doing.On the other hand the Liberals reach out to only corporate business and do everything possible to shut out labour.

BC Liberals meeting with BC Business Council December 14 to develop election platform!

BC Liberal Party working with the Business Council of BC to develop its election platform at behind closed doors meeting of top business leaders on December 14

The BC Liberal Party and some media have been in a near-frenzy over the "news" that the BC Federation of Labour is meeting with the New Democratic Party to discuss a labour platform for the 2013 provincial election.

Mike McDonald, BC Liberal Party Campaign Director on Global TV

The document obtained by The Province newspaper was in fact widely circulated at the BC Federation of Labour Convention last week, as President Jim Sinclair pointed out, but no matter - it makes for a great tabloid front page screamer, with BC Liberals like cabinet minister Mary Polak chiming in with shock and outrage.

So let's see if The Province reacts similarly to this news: I have obtained a document that shows the BC Liberal Party is meeting behind closed doors with the Business Council of BC to develop its own election platform!

And unlike the BC Federation of Labour's Convention, this meeting is not open to the public or media. Nor do there seem to be plans for the BC Liberals to meet with labour and get its input, even though the NDP is regularly meeting with business as well as unions.

So - big business tycoons will meet in private with the BC Liberal Party's Campaign Director Mike McDonald to hear a "campaign update" and then offer their "policy ideas" to help develop the Liberals' "election platform."

Sounds like a story to me.

Here is the full email I obtained that was sent out by longtime BC Liberal backer Victor Vrsnik - a communications consultant and lobbyist and ex-Canadian Taxpayer Federation staffer with strong ties to business, with personal information removed for privacy reasons, and key parts in bold type added.

You are invited to a stakeholder meeting with Mike McDonald, Campaign Director of the BC Liberal Party, on Friday, December 14, 2012, from 10:00AM to 11:00AM at the boardroom of the Business Council of British Columbia (1050 West Pender St., Suite 810).

A renewed Cabinet, combined with seasoned returning MLAs, and an impressive slate of new candidates, the 2013 BC Liberal team is looking strong.

The grassroots of the party are energized from the successful convention in Whistler, and they are stepping up to get the party campaign ready.

Sold out fundraising dinners have been held around the province, most recently Wednesday night's Resource Dinner in Vancouver that will net a record-breaking total. Campaign preparations are well under way, but there is still much work to be done.

With the election fast approaching, Mike wanted to provide you, and other industry and business associations, with a Campaign Update and a high level overview of the Party’s plan over the coming months.

He would like to structure the session so there is plenty of time for discussion and feedback, and also an opportunity for you to offer up policy ideas to feed into the election platform.

Please RSVP by email xxxxx or by phone xxxxxxx.

Thank you.

Yours,

Victor Vrsnik

-- Victor Vrsnik, APRPrincipalSPIRE Public Relations

.Posted by Bill Tieleman at 5:05 PM

“If I were to remain silent, I’d be guilty of complicity.”― Albert Einstein__________________________

Nonetheless, the BC Federation of Labour is writing the NDP's election platform. They've bought and paid for that right, I guess, so they are expecting a considerable return on their investment, at taxpayers' expense, of course. FF and Logitack called BS, they were proven wrong. Time for them to face the truth, instead of changing user IDs and posting a deflection.

The key, from the BC Fed's own document:

The 11-page document was prepared for the executive of the B.C. Federation of Labour and distributed at its recent convention. It details the organization’s top priorities and its work with the NDP to achieve them.

“Labour platform is being developed with the B.C. NDP,” the document says.

Ecclesiastes 10:2 "A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left."Get a high school drama teacher to run a country, and what do you get? High school drama.

The difference is that the NDp are reaching out and listening to ideas from both Labour and corporate business,which is what they should be doing.On the other hand the Liberals reach out to only corporate business and do everything possible to shut out labour.

And unlike the BC Federation of Labour's Convention, this meeting is not open to the public or media. Nor do there seem to be plans for the BC Liberals to meet with labour and get its input, even though the NDP is regularly meeting with business as well as unions.

You are invited to a stakeholder meeting with Mike McDonald, Campaign Director of the BC Liberal Party, on Friday, December 14, 2012, from 10:00AM to 11:00AM at the boardroom of the Business Council of British Columbia (1050 West Pender St., Suite 810).

A renewed Cabinet, combined with seasoned returning MLAs, and an impressive slate of new candidates, the 2013 BC Liberal team is looking strong.

The grassroots of the party are energized from the successful convention in Whistler, and they are stepping up to get the party campaign ready.

Sold out fundraising dinners have been held around the province, most recently Wednesday night's Resource Dinner in Vancouver that will net a record-breaking total. Campaign preparations are well under way, but there is still much work to be done.

With the election fast approaching, Mike wanted to provide you, and other industry and business associations, with a Campaign Update and a high level overview of the Party’s plan over the coming months.

He would like to structure the session so there is plenty of time for discussion and feedback, and also an opportunity for you to offer up policy ideas to feed into the election platform.

“Labour platform is being developed with the B.C. NDP,” the document says.

[/quote]

So is Victor Vrsnik a hack also ,what excuse are you going to offer up to deny this Quote from his letter " He would like to structure the session so there is plenty of time for discussion and feedback, and also an opportunity for you to offer up policy ideas to feed into the election platform. "

When has Christy Clark ever sat down with Jim Sinclair to listen to ideas for their platform.Liberals are interested in one thing only and that is looking after their friends and backers,but the NDP is listening to both sides to build a platform on.

“If I were to remain silent, I’d be guilty of complicity.”― Albert Einstein__________________________

The difference is that the NDp are reaching out and listening to ideas from both Labour and corporate business,which is what they should be doing.On the other hand the Liberals reach out to only corporate business and do everything possible to shut out labour.

And unlike the BC Federation of Labour's Convention, this meeting is not open to the public or media. Nor do there seem to be plans for the BC Liberals to meet with labour and get its input, even though the NDP is regularly meeting with business as well as unions.

steven lloyd wrote:Typical confrontational and divisive politics by the Liberals.

Is it typical for the NDP to use confrontational and divisive politics as well?

__________________________________________________________________________________________We are a generation of idiots - smart phones and dumb people.

grammafreddy wrote: Is it typical for the NDP to use confrontational and divisive politics as well?

The difference is that the NDp are reaching out and listening to ideas from both Labour and corporate business,which is what they should be doing.On the other hand the Liberals reach out to only corporate business and do everything possible to shut out labour.

And unlike the BC Federation of Labour's Convention, this meeting is not open to the public or media. Nor do there seem to be plans for the BC Liberals to meet with labour and get its input, even though the NDP is regularly meeting with business as well as unions.

I’m not going to suggest the NDP have never engaged in confrontational and divisive politics. Unfortunately, all political parties have and do as you and I both know. It seems for the moment, however, that Dix is working toward consensus building and developing a platform both labour and business can support, while with Ms. Clark it’s the same ol, same ol style politics that her predecessor started out with from day one of his tenure. I’m not going to cheer for the NDP, but if Dix can build a platform that appeals to both business and labour all the power to him. I just want to see these Liberals gone.

There are a lot more issues to a party platform than just labour policy part of it, so it is ludicrous to try to infer that "Jim Sinclair is writing the NDP platform". It just makes common sense that a sensible approach to developing any individual part of a platform would call for participation and input by those most affected by it. Just as it makes sense to involve any other special interest sector, such as the small business sector, in developing ideas and policy that relates mainly to them. Balanced Government should be something that operates in the best interests of ALL the people, not just to the unique benefit of some of them as has been the case with the BC Liberals.

steven lloyd wrote:I’m not going to suggest the NDP have never engaged in confrontational and divisive politics. Unfortunately, all political parties have and do as you and I both know. It seems for the moment, however, that Dix is working toward consensus building and developing a platform both labour and business can support, while with Ms. Clark it’s the same ol, same ol style politics that her predecessor started out with from day one of his tenure. I’m not going to cheer for the NDP, but if Dix can build a platform that appeals to both business and labour all the power to him. I just want to see these Liberals gone.

Dix is appearing to take the high road which is smart considering his current standing in the polls but we've all seen the low road he takes when he thinks that no one is looking. It seems to me that many of us who have been very critical of the NDP have also been very critical of the Liberals but some (not you Steven but others) feed us the line that the NDP is as pure as the driven snow, that they don't engage in dirty tricks, that they don't engage in political spin, that they're the greatest thing since sliced bread. Well, it just ain't so.

Urbane wrote:Dix is appearing to take the high road which is smart considering his current standing in the polls but we've all seen the low road he takes when he thinks that no one is looking. It seems to me that many of us who have been very critical of the NDP have also been very critical of the Liberals but some (not you Steven but others) feed us the line that the NDP is as pure as the driven snow, that they don't engage in dirty tricks, that they don't engage in political spin, that they're the greatest thing since sliced bread. Well, it just ain't so.

Yuppers - and that's my point. ALL political parties are guilty of exactly the same thing and they ALL are corrupt and they ALL have less than stellar people yanking the public's chain.

To continually flog the NDP as better than sliced bread is just so much crapola. If they get in, they will be just as bad as the Liberals - maybe in different ways, but still just as bad. There are no good, honest politicians left at the moment in any party - provincially or federally.

This will be a plug yer nose and vote election.

__________________________________________________________________________________________We are a generation of idiots - smart phones and dumb people.

grammafreddy wrote:Yuppers - and that's my point. ALL political parties are guilty of exactly the same thing and they ALL are corrupt and they ALL have less than stellar people yanking the public's chain.

Urbane wrote:Well, it just ain't so.

Well then what is your guys solution to give them a message that those things are unacceptable.To me voting the Liberals back in for 4 years only sends a message that we accept it all and there will be no consequences when they continue.I'm with Steven and the only way is to keep voting them out and while they are in government hold their feet to the fire ,letting them know we won't put up with it anymore.Voting Liberals back in ain't gone do it.Some things that will help, is the idea of stopping both union and corporate political donation.And another thing is to do something about the government advertising for their political gains.The NDP are on record in support of that.What are the Liberals as a party going to do to change these things that disgust us all.

“If I were to remain silent, I’d be guilty of complicity.”― Albert Einstein__________________________